"So that's how it was," Sanji said with a furrowed brow.
He truly hadn't expected that bastard Arlong was released because of Jimbei. This really was...
"Yes."
Jimbei lowered his head slightly and said, "Because I became one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, Arlong was released. After that, we went our separate ways."
"Then why didn't you stop him at the time?!"
Perona said, "With your strength, capturing that guy called Arlong shouldn't have been a problem, right?"
"Forcing him to stay wouldn't have been an issue, but..."
Jimbei hesitated for a moment before continuing, "He would have eventually sneaked away with others anyway. After all... he deeply hates humans."
"And bringing someone like him back to Fish-Man Island would have been very detrimental to Queen Otohime's plans."
At this point, Jimbei paused, sighed, and then went on, "As for killing him myself..."
"I'm sorry, I couldn't do it."
"I watched this guy grow up. For me to personally kill him... I simply couldn't bring myself to do it."
"So you just let him leave?" Meiser said with a frown.
"Not exactly."
Jimbei shook his head and said, "At the time, I discussed this matter with Aladdin—my vice-captain."
"Our shared thought was that as soon as Arlong caused any trouble, he would be pursued. The Marines would naturally inform us, and I would personally capture him then."
"But who could have imagined..."
Although Jimbei didn't finish his sentence, Sanji, having experienced the Nami incident, understood what he meant.
Who could have imagined that a Marine would collude with that damn Arlong?
"Nami..."
"It's fine."
Nami patted Merry's head and calmly looked at Jimbei, saying, "Please continue."
Since she had decided to let him finish speaking, she wouldn't interrupt him.
"Thank you..."
Jimbei bowed his head in gratitude and continued, "After I became one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, the relationship between the World Government and Fish-Man Island eased somewhat."
"But because of Fisher Tiger's death, the hatred toward humans on Fish-Man Island didn't lessen much, so Queen Otohime's plans still couldn't be implemented."
"Yet Queen Otohime didn't give up. Instead, she worked even harder to collect signatures from the citizens."
"Would that be effective?" Merry asked.
The hero who saved the Fish-Man race died at the hands of humans... In such circumstances, would anyone really be willing to sign a petition to go to the surface?
"Very little effect."
Jimbei shook his head and said, "At least at that time, the citizens' acceptance of this matter wasn't high."
Upon hearing this, Merry pursed her lips. It seemed achieving Queen Otohime's dream wouldn't be easy.
"But she still didn't give up, right?"
"Yes."
Jimbei nodded and said, "Even though not many were willing to accept it, Queen Otohime never gave up."
"To put it in her words: As long as one person is willing to accept it, that means this matter has feasibility, so she was willing to keep trying!"
"And so, Queen Otohime began her efforts, year after year, day after day."
"Until one day... Queen Otohime's fate underwent a tremendous change..."
Recalling what happened that day, Jimbei's eyes grew somewhat complex.
Then, he continued, "Due to a certain incident, an uninvited guest arrived at our Fish-Man Island."
"And this uninvited guest..."
"Was a Celestial Dragon!"
At these words, everyone present showed expressions of shock.
"A Celestial Dragon?" Meiser exclaimed in surprise. "Those self-proclaimed gods would come to Fish-Man Island?"
Based on his understanding of the Celestial Dragons, those guys shouldn't be too keen on coming to a place like Fish-Man Island.
After all... to those people, Fish-Man Island was full of filthy non-humans!
"It's quite surprising, isn't it," Jimbei said. "I was surprised too, but they came anyway."
"However, just as they were about to reach Fish-Man Island, their ship encountered some terrible disaster, which led to the ship being destroyed."
"Then how did they reach Fish-Man Island?" Perona asked, puzzled.
They had seen what a destroyed ship looked like. In that situation... how did a human Celestial Dragon survive?
"I'm not sure either."
Jimbei shook his head and said, "But they did indeed arrive at Fish-Man Island alive, and they were the only one who survived."
As for how that ship drifted to Fish-Man Island?
It could only be said that their luck was pretty good.
Hearing Jimbei's words, Meiser thought for a moment and then said, "Maybe... it has something to do with their attire."
"Attire?"
Everyone looked puzzled. What does that have to do with the Celestial Dragons' attire?
This is the deep sea, after all.
"You all remember what the Celestial Dragons we encountered on Sabaody Archipelago looked like, right?" Meiser said.
"You mean that bubble coating?" Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, said.
Thinking about it carefully, those guys did seem to have a transparent bubble on their heads.
Could it be... that thing is what allowed the Celestial Dragon to survive?
"Yeah, that bubble coating," Meiser thought for a moment and said. "From what I understand, most Celestial Dragons have a habit of not wanting to breathe the same air as other humans."
"So when they're out and about, they wear a special bubble coating on their heads."
"I think that's probably how they managed to survive and reach Fish-Man Island even after their ship and coating were destroyed."
"But the pressure in the deep sea is immense," Nami said, puzzled. "Could a Celestial Dragon really withstand that kind of pressure?"
The pressure at ten thousand meters deep is terrifying. Even Zoro might not be able to withstand it!
In that case, how did the Celestial Dragon manage it?
Could it be that the one who came was a powerful Celestial Dragon?
"Perhaps it's because the Celestial Dragons wear special clothing," Meiser thought for a moment and said. "Their outfits look a bit like diving suits."
Although he didn't know why the Celestial Dragons wore such strange clothing, Meiser speculated that was likely how the other party survived. Otherwise, even with oxygen, they wouldn't have made it.
"Clothing that can withstand the pressure of ten thousand meters deep in the ocean..." Nami said subconsciously. "How much would that be worth?"
Meiser: ???
Hearing Nami's words, several question marks immediately popped up in Meiser's head.
Then he retorted, "No, why are you still thinking about money at a time like this?"
"You don't understand anything."
Nami rolled her eyes at Meiser. This guy had no idea what she had been through in the past, so naturally he couldn't understand why she was like this.
Seeing Nami roll her eyes, Meiser showed a somewhat helpless expression.
He didn't understand?
No, he understood far more than Nami imagined.
But Meiser didn't explain, just shook his head and said nothing more.
"Why did that Celestial Dragon come to Fish-Man Island?" Chopper asked curiously.
"According to that Celestial Dragon, there are slaves who escaped from him among our Sun Pirates," Jimbei said. "And his purpose in coming to Fish-Man Island was to capture these people and take them back."
"But that doesn't make sense," Merry said doubtfully. "Weren't those people pardoned because you became one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"That's true, but you can't judge Celestial Dragons by normal logic," Jimbei sighed.
The World Government had indeed pardoned his crew members and allowed them to return to Fish-Man Island to live.
But if a Celestial Dragon personally came to capture them, there was nothing they could do.
After all... they were Celestial Dragons!
"These guys really are people who can't be judged by normal logic," Meiser nodded deeply in agreement.
Although he had only stayed in Mary Geoise for less than two days, he had witnessed what hell looked like there, so he clearly understood what kind of scum the Celestial Dragons were.
Then Meiser continued, "Did you kill that person?"
"No."
Jimbei shook his head. "Originally, those fish-men who were once this Celestial Dragon's slaves planned to kill him, but Queen Otohime intervened to protect him, so..."
"Protect?"
Perona asked doubtfully, "How could someone who fractures a bone just from slapping someone protect anyone?"
She really couldn't imagine what method the other party would use to protect someone.
Upon hearing Perona's words, Jimbei fell silent for a moment, then said with a complicated expression, "She used her own body to block bullets for the Celestial Dragon."
"Wha...?!"
Hearing Jimbei's words, Perona's eyes widened immediately, her face full of disbelief.
Queen Otohime actually went that far to protect a Celestial Dragon?
This was too shocking!
"Why?"
"Isn't this Celestial Dragon who came to capture people a bad guy? Why would Shirahoshi's mother protect him?"
In her view, shouldn't bad people be punished?
So Merry really couldn't understand Queen Otohime's way of thinking.
"Because Queen Otohime wanted to realize her ideal," Jimbei said with a complicated expression. "That's why she stepped in to protect that Celestial Dragon."
Hearing Jimbei's words, Sanji immediately seemed to understand something and spoke up, "She wanted to use that as a stepping stone to improve relations with the World Government, right?"
If she could truly get closer to that Celestial Dragon, Miss Shirahoshi's mother might really be able to achieve her dream.
After all... the authority of the Celestial Dragons is immense!
If they wanted to, they could easily provide the Fish-Man race with an island suitable for living!
"Right, that was exactly Queen Otohime's idea," Jimbei nodded. "So she told everyone not to attack that Celestial Dragon and to spare his life."
"And precisely because of this, that Celestial Dragon survived."
"The Celestial Dragon probably wouldn't be grateful," Meiser said.
At these words, Jimbei fell silent for a moment, then replied with a complicated expression, "Yes, he wasn't grateful."
"Not only was he ungrateful, he even picked up a weapon and took Queen Otohime hostage."
"He aggressively demanded that we bring him a mask and also find him a doctor."
"A mask?"
A hint of confusion appeared in Chopper's eyes. He could understand needing a doctor—to treat his injuries—but what was the purpose of asking for a mask?
"Didn't Meiser just say it? Celestial Dragons dislike breathing the same air as us, so they need something to cover their heads," Jimbei explained.
Upon hearing this, Chopper immediately made a disgusted expression and said, "Even at a time like this, he cares about such things..."
"Celestial Dragons really are detestable."
Why do creatures like Celestial Dragons exist in this world?
"Though it sounds absurd, that's just how Celestial Dragons are," Meiser said.
As someone who had personally been to Mary Geoise, Meiser knew exactly what kind of people Celestial Dragons were.
So it was perfectly normal for the other party to make such a choice.
"Yes, that's the Celestial Dragons for you..." Jimbei sighed.
"What happened next?"
Perona asked, "With you, a Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea, there, you should have been able to rescue her without any harm, right?"
"No, the one who acted at the time wasn't me," Jimbei shook his head.
When he discovered the situation, he had considered stepping in to subdue that Celestial Dragon.
But after considering that it might not guarantee Queen Otohime's safe rescue, he gave up on the idea.
After all... Queen Otohime was truly important.
"Then who was it?"
After saying this, Perona paused, then as if she had realized something, showed a surprised expression and said,
"Could it have been Whitebeard?"
If that one of the Four Emperors had come to Fish-Man Island, he really could have rescued her without any harm.
After all... someone like him possesses the legendary Conqueror's Haki!
"No, it wasn't," Jimbei shook his head. "Pops wasn't on Fish-Man Island at the time."
If Pops had been there, a single burst of Haki would have been enough to knock out the Celestial Dragon.
But unfortunately... Pops wasn't there.
"Then who was it?" Perona asked, puzzled. "It couldn't have been that curly-haired old man, could it?"
If even Jimbei, a Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea, couldn't manage it, that curly-haired old man who looked very weak would be even less capable of rescuing her without harm.
"Nor is it King Neptune."
"Then who is it?"
This time, Jimbei did not answer but instead turned to look at Shirahoshi, who had been staring at them all along.
Seeing this, Shirahoshi blinked her large eyes and tilted her head, asking, "What's wrong?"
Why was Boss Jimbei looking at her?
Could it be... that there was something wrong with her?
Thinking this, Shirahoshi lowered her head to examine herself but found nothing out of the ordinary.
This left her puzzled. What exactly did Boss Jimbei mean?
"You can't possibly mean this has something to do with Shirahoshi," Meiser said in surprise.
"That's exactly right."
Meiser:
This girl who looks so delicate and fragile, who even likes to cry over nothing... what kind of fighting ability could she possibly have?
Or had he and Luffy both misjudged her?
Thinking this, Meiser activated his Sharingan and looked at Shirahoshi, hoping to discern something from her, but after a while, he still couldn't see anything special.
"What's wrong?"
Feeling uneasy under Meiser's gaze, Shirahoshi cautiously asked, "Lord Meiser, is there something wrong with me?"
"Nothing, I was just curious if you were hiding your true strength."
"What strength do I have?" Shirahoshi shook her head.
She was just a girl who cried whenever something happened, with no real strength to speak of.
"That doesn't seem like a lie," Meiser nodded, then turned to Jimbei, signaling him to explain.
This time, Jimbei didn't beat around the bush and said straightforwardly, "When I say this has something to do with Princess Shirahoshi, it doesn't mean she possesses great strength."
"Then what is it?"
"Because that day, several Super-Giant Sea Kings appeared!!"
At these words, everyone was stunned.
What was the situation with the Super-Giant Sea Kings?
Shirahoshi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded. Indeed, quite a few Super-Giant Sea Kings had appeared that day.
At the time... had she also heard some strange sounds?
Thinking this, Shirahoshi fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Merry asked in confusion, "Why would Sea Kings appear at Fish-Man Island?"
Hearing this, Jimbei fell silent for a moment before saying, "It might have been because of Princess Shirahoshi's crying."
"Crying?"
"Yes."
Jimbei nodded and said, "At the time, Princess Shirahoshi let out a wail because her mother had been taken hostage."
"Not long after that... several incredibly terrifying Sea Kings charged into Fish-Man Island!"
"And that Celestial Dragon was so frightened by the Sea Kings that he fainted on the spot, which ultimately resolved the crisis." Even now, recalling that scene, Jimbei felt a sense of awe.
After all... Sea Kings of that level were extremely terrifying in strength, and even he might not be a match for them.
And Princess Shirahoshi had summoned over ten of such Sea Kings at once!
What a terrifying power that was!
"Why would something like this happen?" Merry exclaimed, looking at Shirahoshi in shock.
Was it a coincidence?
No... she couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just a coincidence.
"I don't know either," Shirahoshi shook her head.
She only vaguely remembered her mother mentioning something about a Sea King... something about Poseidon, but she had forgotten the specifics, so she had no idea what was going on.
Meanwhile, Meiser wore an expression of sudden realization and said, "Jimbei, is this why you asked me before if I had Fish-man blood?"
Now he understood why Jimbei had asked him that strange question back then—the root of it was here.
"Yes, precisely because of this," Jimbei nodded.
As for why Princess Shirahoshi possessed such an ability... Jimbei did not explain, as this matter was the royal family's most important secret. Without King Neptune's permission, he would not speak of it.
"I never imagined Princess Shirahoshi would have the ability to summon Sea Kings," Den exclaimed in astonishment, looking at Shirahoshi. "This is truly unbelievable."
If this power could be fully mastered... the strength of Fish-Man Island would soar to new heights!
At the very least, with Princess Shirahoshi around, no one would dare bully Fish-Man Island!
"I don't have that ability," Shirahoshi quickly waved her hands. "I can't do anything like that right now."
"Can't do it?"
A hint of confusion appeared in Den's eyes. Why couldn't she?
Hadn't she already summoned them?
"I don't know either," Shirahoshi shook her head. "I really can't do something like that."
"Maybe it was just a coincidence," Sanji said.
The idea of a Mermaid Princess summoning Sea Kings... sounded a bit fantastical, so Sanji found it somewhat unrealistic.
A coincidence...
Meiser stared at Shirahoshi for a moment, murmuring inwardly, 'I'm afraid not.
Though I don't know how Shirahoshi did it, that power likely belongs to her!
As for her saying she can't do it...
Having lived in the Hard Shell Tower for ten years, it's understandable that she can't control it.'
However, Meiser had no intention of voicing these thoughts, as it was someone else's business, after all.
Then, Meiser changed the subject. "What happened to that Celestial Dragon afterward?"
"Queen Otohime gave the order to treat the Celestial Dragon," Jimbei said. "So Aladdin stepped in and treated him."
"After several weeks of treatment, the Celestial Dragon recovered."
"Afterward, Queen Otohime planned to send the Celestial Dragon back to the surface..."
At this point, Jimbei paused, his expression turning complicated. "And it was at this moment that Queen Otohime made a decision that shocked everyone!"
"What decision?"
"She decided to accompany the Celestial Dragon to the surface, to prove that humans weren't as terrifying as they seemed."
Upon hearing this, everyone present widened their eyes.
"Go back with the Celestial Dragon?" Sanji exclaimed in shock. "Wouldn't that be like a lamb walking into a lion's den?"
Although Queen Otohime was a noble of Fish-Man Island... the Celestial Dragons might not care about such things.
After all, they had dared to kidnap Queen Otohime directly, so they likely wouldn't pay much attention to her status.
Under such circumstances... how could Queen Otohime dare to go with them?
Wasn't she afraid of being captured by the Celestial Dragons and made a slave?
"That is precisely what makes Queen Otohime so remarkable," Jimbei said. "Because she understood what her people feared, she made that choice."
"By having her physically frail self accompany the Celestial Dragons, she proved that not all humans are terrifying demons."
"And so, Queen Otohime, who had staked the future of Fish-Man Island, left the island together with the Celestial Dragon."
"Did the curly-haired uncle not go along?" Perona asked, puzzled.
Shouldn't he have gone together at a time like this?
"He did not," Jimbei shook his head and said. "According to Queen Otohime's words, if someone as powerful as King Neptune went, it would be meaningless."
"Only by going herself, weak as she was, could she prove that humans were friendly."
"In the end, King Neptune was persuaded and chose to remain on Fish-Man Island, silently waiting with Princess Shirahoshi and the others for Queen Otohime's return."
Upon hearing this, Merry turned to look at Shirahoshi and said, "That feeling must have been hard to bear, right?"
Hadn't she herself been forced to stay on Kuja Island, silently waiting for Meiser and Luffy's return back then?
That feeling... was truly hard to bear...
"Yes."
This time, Shirahoshi did not refute it but nodded honestly.
At that time... her feelings had indeed been very difficult.
"In the end... did Queen Otohime return?" Perona inquired.
"She did."
Jimbei nodded and said, "Not only did Queen Otohime return safely from the surface, but she also brought back a signed letter from the Celestial Dragon!"
"The letter stated that this person would support the Fish-Man race's return to life on the surface and agreed to peaceful coexistence between humans and the Fish-Man race."
"It was precisely because of this letter that Queen Otohime became even more confident in leading everyone to live on the surface."
"After all... the words of a Celestial Dragon carry great weight!"
"She actually persuaded a Celestial Dragon?"
Meiser looked at Jimbei in astonishment. To make the unreasonable Celestial Dragon agree to such a decision... just how did this Queen Otohime manage it?
"That's right, Queen Otohime did indeed persuade the Celestial Dragon," Jimbei nodded and said. "Although I don't know exactly what happened, she truly accomplished it."
Hearing this, Meiser fell silent, then said with some emotion, "It seems this Queen Otohime was even more remarkable than we imagined."
Did she rely on her innate Observation Haki to achieve it?
That wasn't impossible either.
"Since she already had the Celestial Dragon's approval, why didn't she succeed later?" Nami said.
"Because... Queen Otohime met with an accident..." Jimbei closed his eyes painfully and said, "While collecting signatures from everyone... she was shot through the heart and ultimately died from her injuries..."
As these words were spoken, everyone present instinctively furrowed their brows.
"Such a thing actually happened..." Chopper said with a grim expression. "The culprit is truly despicable!"
Queen Otohime was so close to success!
And Nami, as if thinking of something, widened her eyes and said, "Could it have been a human..."
"Ah, at least on the surface, it appeared so."
Nami fell silent. Why did things have to turn out this way?
Why couldn't things have ended more perfectly?
"What do you mean by 'on the surface'?" Meiser frowned.
"Because by the time we discovered the culprit, they were already dead," Jimbei said. "Shot and killed by Hody, who was still a member of the Royal Army at the time."
"No, wait a moment!"
Meiser raised his hand to stop Jimbei from continuing, then said, "You just said the person who discovered the culprit was Hody?"
"Yes."
"He was the first to accurately pinpoint the killer's location, right?"
"Right." Jimbei nodded. "Not only was he the first to discover it, but he was also the first to shoot and kill the perpetrator."
Hearing Jimbei's words, Meiser was rendered speechless.
Something felt very off to him.
After a moment of thought, Meiser turned to Hachi and asked, "Earlier, you told Chopper that Hody was planning to attack Fish-Man Island, right?"
"Yes." Hachi said with a grim expression. "Hody deeply hates humans, and he also despises King Neptune for wanting to build friendly relations with them. So he plans to lead his men to seize Fish-Man Island."
If Hody succeeded... this guy would likely lead the Fish-Man race to attack humans.
But doing so would cause massive casualties, and could even... lead to the complete destruction of Fish-Man Island!
So he didn't want that to happen.
"How could this be..."
Shirahoshi's eyes welled up with tears. Why was that Hody so evil?
Even though they had made so many concessions...
"So they're already about to make their move." Jimbei frowned.
It seemed the situation was even more serious than he had imagined.
Nami looked at Meiser, who was deep in thought, and asked, "What are you thinking?"
"I think I know who killed Queen Otohime." Meiser said. "This whole thing is most likely a play orchestrated by Hody himself."
Upon hearing this, Shirahoshi froze.
Then, she looked at Meiser in astonishment, never expecting him to deduce the true culprit so quickly.
That's right—the one who truly killed her mother was actually Hody!
That human was nothing more than a scapegoat Hody had found; the real perpetrator was Hody!
Megalo wore a sorrowful expression. It had witnessed the incident firsthand and was the one who told Princess Shirahoshi.
But Princess Shirahoshi, honoring her mother's dying wish, refused to harm anyone, so...
Thinking of this, the giant shark let out a silent sigh.
The others didn't notice the change in their expressions, as they were all focused on Meiser.
"Why are you so sure?" Sanji asked.
"This person harbors extreme hatred toward humans, so he would never want to see Queen Otohime's dream realized. Acting at this moment makes perfect sense." Meiser said gravely.
"But wasn't it a human who fired the shot?"
"Who said the shooter had to be human?" Meiser countered. "Did anyone examine that human's firearm?"
"No one actually checked..." Jimbei said with a troubled expression.
After he arrived, Hody immediately took the body to explain the situation to everyone, so Jimbei never had the chance to inspect it.
Of course, he also hadn't thought of that possibility.
"So you believe the real shooter was actually Hody?" Sanji said.
"It's possible."
Meiser nodded. "At least based on what this guy is doing now, that deduction isn't unreasonable."
After a pause, he continued, "Of course, it's also possible I'm wrong."
But he felt his reasoning was probably close to the truth.
Shirahoshi hesitated upon hearing this, considering whether she should reveal the truth.
But remembering what her mother had once instructed, she silently closed her mouth and began secretly wiping away tears.
Jimbei sighed at the sight. It seemed the princess was thinking of Queen Otohime again.
"Anyway... after this incident, the citizens, who already had little trust in humans, withdrew their trust once more," Jimbei said. "Even with the three princes, who inherited Queen Otohime's will, mediating between the two sides, the effect was far from what it had been when Queen Otohime was still alive."
"But the three princes did not give up. No matter how difficult it was, they persisted in upholding Queen Otohime's ideals."
"They believed that one day, the Fish-Man race would be able to return to the surface."
"Thus, after ten years of effort, they once again collected signatures from many citizens."
"Although the number was far less than before, it was still a relatively good start."
"And this... is the origin of the Fish-Man Pirates and... the struggle Fish-Man Island has waged against human discrimination over these past sixteen years."
"At the same time... it is also the story of those two great individuals."
After finishing, Jimbei fell silent, then slowly closed his eyes, looking as if he were making some important decision.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and said, "Miss Nami, Arlong, who committed atrocities in your hometown... was actually my subordinate."
"I originally intended to rush over and stop him as soon as he caused trouble, but... Arlong bribed the nearby Marines, which meant even Marine Headquarters couldn't learn about the situation."
"So... I was also unaware of what Arlong was doing."
"And this led to you and many others suffering under Arlong's persecution..."
"What do you mean?"
Perona frowned and said, "Are you trying to shirk responsibility?"
She now understood what was going on!
If this guy Jimbei dared to brush it off, she would make him understand the power of the Ghost Princess.
"No, I never intended to shirk responsibility." Jimbei shook his head, then turned to face Nami and knelt directly before her.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Nami was stunned on the spot.
"This is..."
"I also bear responsibility for this." Jimbei lowered his head and said, "So... as long as it can ease your anger, I am willing to pay any price."
"Even if you want my life, I won't so much as blink!!!"